Speaker
Rita Choula, MA
Senior Director of Caregiving
AARP Public Policy Institute
Rita B. Choula, MA is Senior Director of Caregiving at the AARP Public Policy Institute. In her role, she drives the strategic direction and development of family caregiving initiatives both within AARP and in partnership with a range of external stakeholders. Her work bridges policy and research to practice, centered on identifying and supporting needs of family caregivers. Rita advances caregiver-centric policies and practices by elevating the unique nature of each caregiving experience and promoting their health, well-being and financial security.
In collaboration with clinical experts and key partners, Rita leads the development of programs and tools that enable health care and social service professionals to better recognize the diverse needs of family caregivers and provide supports to them across settings.
Rita spearheaded a multi-million dollar grant initiative focused on elevating the recognition and support of family caregivers providing complex care by health care professionals, particularly those in hospitals and health systems, through the intersection of policy, research and practice.
Rita holds a Master’s degree in the Management of Aging Services from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
She is a currently Chair of the Board of Directors for the Association of Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) and a Board member of the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC).
She is also a member of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), American Society on Aging (ASA), and the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI).
Rita is a recipient of the CARE 100 List of the Most Influential People in Care and the National Hispanic Council on Aging Caregiving Award. She is a nationally-recognized speaker sharing her expertise on caregiving and policy development.
Rita is moved to action by her personal experience as a family caregiver. First, for her grandmother, as she aged and then as a sandwich caregiver for her mother, who lived with Frontotemporal Dementia, while juggling working full-time, and caring for two small children